Inside Xianfu Palace.
The news that the Emperor paused outside the gate for a moment before heading towards Yikun Palace was naturally sent to the main hall immediately.
Tana couldn't hide the disappointment in her eyes.
Consort Xuan glanced at her: "Even if you came, you weren't looking for me. Why are you so expectant?"
Tana pursed her lips: "This servant feels wronged for my mistress. Clearly, my mistress is far better than... others, so why can't His Majesty see my mistress's sincere heart?"
Where does this sincerity come from?
Consort Xuan chuckled, took a sip of the hot tea, and used the rising steam to conceal the coldness in her eyes.
From the moment the news of the Empress Dowager reached the residence, she was no longer a child surrounded by her parents. If she had a little expectation when she first entered the palace, the indifference she felt when she first met the Emperor, and the stiffness in his body when she touched him, made the innocent feelings in Xuan Pin's heart vanish like fireworks in an instant, and her heart was locked tightly with iron chains.
Jealousy and resentment must never be shown.
Consort Xuan would only occasionally appear sad and occasionally force a smile, all in order to make the Emperor feel more guilty when he saw her. This guilt might bring some benefit to the Borjigit clan at a crucial moment. This was the purpose of being a palace concubine.
Consort Xuan's eyes were deep and intense.
She stopped Tana from speaking: "Let's not talk about that anymore. Speaking of which, we need to prepare all the items and things for the New Year—"
Before she could finish speaking, the sound of firecrackers being fired suddenly came from the doorway. Consort Xuan looked up at the door, a strange expression crossing her usually composed face: "The Emperor...has arrived?"
Emperor Kangxi was a man of great ambition.
In his early twenties, he was like a sharp sword, full of confidence. However, he never expected that in the seemingly harmonious harem, the usually gentle and considerate Consort Yi harbored deep malice towards Xianfu Palace. Without saying a word, he simply turned and left Yikun Palace.
Not to mention that, he turned around and went into Xianfu Palace, determined to humiliate Consort Yi. It's unclear what Consort Yi was thinking, but Consort Xuan was genuinely bewildered when she saw Kangxi walk in. Of course, with her excellent self-control, she immediately composed herself, stepped forward, and curtsied, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
Emperor Kangxi calmly called out.
Once he entered Xianfu Palace and his feverish head calmed down, he felt a little embarrassed.
Emperor Kangxi never liked visiting Xianfu Palace.
Despite his continued respect for the Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager, Emperor Kangxi, who was keen to keep power firmly in his grasp, was extremely wary of Consort Meng's influence. He did not want to be as infatuated with love as his predecessor, but he also did not want Consort Meng to continue controlling his harem. Therefore, he treated even the Ninth Prince, Wan Fu, with indifference.
With the Fifth and Tenth Princes sent to be raised outside the palace, the only remaining princes in the palace besides the Crown Prince were the Ninth Prince. Yet, even the Ninth Prince's health and academic progress were not well known. However, since he was already there, Kangxi casually asked, "Where is the Ninth Prince?"
Using Wan Fu as a pretext, he could then go and find Consort Nara... Kangxi's calculations were quite meticulous.
But things didn't go as planned.
Consort Xuan replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, the Ninth Prince played in the snow for a while, and Consort Nara, fearing he would get cold, brought him back to his room to drink ginger soup."
Emperor Kangxi nodded: "Indeed."
Consort Xuan looked at Kangxi with a hint of doubt in her eyes, tilting her head curiously.
Emperor Kangxi laughed heartily: "Those little snow sculptures are so ugly and bizarre that I can tell at a glance that they were made by Wan Fu."
Xuan Bin:…………
Her expression was so strange that Kangxi raised an eyebrow in rare confusion: "Could it be that I said something wrong?"
Consort Xuan: "In fact..."
As Kangxi listened, his eyes widened, and his lips twitched uncontrollably. He even asked doubtfully, "Was it really Wan Changzai who did it?"
Consort Xuan nodded.
Kangxi hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself—not only was Consort Wan's handwriting poor, but her hands were also so clumsy! He sighed, rubbing his forehead, but at the same time, a bit of curiosity arose. He nodded slightly to Consort Xuan: "I'll go take a look."
Consort Xuan rose and curtsied, saying, "Your Majesty, I respectfully see you off."
After watching Kangxi's figure disappear, she sat back down in her chair and continued talking with the palace servants about what she hadn't finished saying earlier.
Kangxi could see the backyard filled with snow sculptures from afar.
The small animals posed in various ways, along with the wooden fences and snow houses, were all ingeniously arranged, catching Kangxi's eye and making him look at each one with great interest.
Hai Tao, with her sharp eyes, covered her mouth.
She stared out the window in disbelief, and after a long while murmured, "My...my mistress...is that...is that the Emperor?"
Wan Anran: "Waaaaah?"
She didn't even have time to look up; her entire focus was on the delicious food. The tender, succulent lamb leg only needed to be cooked in the copper pot for three breaths to be fully cooked, its springy texture and rich aroma making it even more flavorful with a touch of sesame sauce. Of course, it could also be placed in the spicy broth, where the stimulating flavor made Wan Anran unable to resist.
What kind of emperor is he?!
Hotpot is the biggest hotpot ever! Long live hotpot!
Haitao and Zisu got anxious.
The two men swayed Wan Changzai from side to side, exclaiming, "Your Highness! Your Highness! It really is the Emperor!"
"The Emperor has imprisoned me... huh?" Wan Anran suddenly came to her senses. She looked out the window and sure enough, Emperor Kangxi, dressed in an apricot-yellow dragon robe, was looking around the courtyard with great interest.
Wan Anran: ...
She abruptly lowered her head and focused on the pot again: "Calm down, calm down. If you ask me, the Emperor definitely didn't come to our room. Look! Consort Xu has already gone out to greet him."
Sure enough, the door to the west wing opened.
Xu Changzai could not hide her joy and hurriedly came out.
Is this some kind of windfall?
Haitao and Zisu fell silent, then lowered their heads and chose to continue serving their mistress.
From the window, one could see the backyard, and from the backyard, one could see the wide-open window and Wan Anran and the others making subtle movements. For a moment, Kangxi didn't know whether to call Wan Changzai foolish or obedient. Shouldn't ordinary palace concubines come out to pay their respects at this time? Like this one in front of him… who was this again?
Or is it...?
Has Wan Changzai never taken me seriously at all? Kangxi's displeasure rose slightly, and Liang Jiugong, who was following behind, also shook his head inwardly: That incompetent Liu Shan—that's Wan Changzai!
At that moment, Liang Jiugong heard Kangxi's voice: "Eh?"
Kangxi's gaze fell on the snowman.
Two snowmen, a man and a woman, stood together, looking exceptionally harmonious and adorable. Liang Jiugong didn't see anything wrong, but Kangxi couldn't help but laugh: "As expected of a coward, he has me in his heart but dares not say it."
Liang Jiugong: ...? ? ?
His face was blank, and Kangxi walked around Xu Changzai and headed towards the east wing.
"My lord! The Emperor has arrived!"
"Waaaaah..." Trying to trick me again? Wan Anran looked up and froze when she saw Kangxi push the door open and enter.
What can we do now?
She decided to bite the bullet and go for it! She calmly put down her chopsticks, stood up, and curtsied to Emperor Kangxi: "This humble servant greets Your Majesty, may Your Majesty enjoy ten thousand years of good fortune and peace."
Kangxi: "Get up."
His gaze shifted to the window, where two pots on the small table were still steaming, and a faint spicy aroma filled the air. A small portion of the sumptuous meal had already been eaten, and looking at the mess, Haitao, Zisu, and Jubai's noses were sweating. Their first instinct was to get up and clear the table.
Wan Anran felt quite sorry for him.
They'd only eaten a tiny bit of that tender lamb, hadn't finished the leg of lamb, and hadn't even touched the rare beef rolls... and now they were taking it all away? Wan Anran brazenly asked, "Your Majesty, have you had your meal?"
Kangxi: …………
Having given the bad idea, he naturally didn't get to eat in Kunning Palace, and was further angered by Consort Yi, leaving Yikun Palace. Now, smelling the tempting aroma in front of him, Kangxi was actually starting to feel like having a meal... What was he planning? He stared at the spicy soup for a while, then coughed: "Is this the red soup the Empress mentioned?"
Wan Anran nodded in agreement.
Then she saw Grandpa Kang swagger down and say, “The Empress has praised it highly, so I will have a taste.”
Since the Emperor had requested a meal, the food before them could not be served. Hai Tao, Zi Su, and Ju Bai happily cleared the table of food, while Liang Jiu Gong immediately sent someone to fetch new ingredients.
The ingredients for the spicy hot pot were obtained from Chef Zhao in the imperial kitchen.
Upon hearing that the Emperor intended to have Wan Chang dine here, he was overjoyed and almost burst out laughing. Having already received a reward from the Empress, now he was to dine with the Emperor…? Of course, Chef Zhao's expression turned serious; at such a moment, he absolutely could not afford to relax, otherwise all his efforts would be in vain.
The competition among the chefs in the imperial kitchen was also fierce.
Now that Chef Zhao had the upper hand, he wasn't willing to give up his good opportunity. Chef Zhao chased away the apprentice who wanted to help him cut meat, and carefully and diligently prepared the ingredients, determined to show off his skills in front of the Emperor.
While waiting for his meal, Emperor Kangxi also inquired about the snow sculpture.
He still had some doubts in his mind—if those ugly snow sculptures were made by Wan Changzai, then who made those exquisitely carved, obviously skillful ones?
Wan Anran: "That wasn't made by the concubine."
She called Ju Bai over: "Ju Bai made all of these! And not only these, Ju Bai can also make large snow sculptures. It's just that the snow in Xianfu Palace is almost used up, so there hasn't been a chance for Ju Bai to show off."
Wan Anran expressed deep regret over this.
Ju Bai was at a loss, her eyes fixed on the instep, not daring to look up at the Emperor.
I remember when I first met Consort Wan, she also showed me the back of her head, didn't she? Kangxi chuckled, not caring much about a mere maid, and simply nodded casually: "There's a lot of snow piled up in the Imperial Garden, so if you want her to do it, let her do it there."
Wan Anran was happy.
She happily agreed and showed great enthusiasm towards Kangxi. Just then, the new ingredients arrived, and Wan Anran immediately decided to treat Kangxi well.
The newly arrived ingredients were far more impressive than what Wan Anran had just eaten. First was the "Four Fortunes, Prosperity, Longevity, and Examination" platter: Fortune consisted of pheasant, Prosperity of venison, Longevity of mutton, and Examination of fish. Secondly, the soup base was different; Kangxi preferred the sour soup to the clear soup Wan Anran had eaten.
Sour soup and spiciness are a perfect match.
Wan Anran personally prepared a chili sauce, picked up a piece of thinly sliced mutton with chopsticks, placed it in the dipping sauce, and finally presented it to Emperor Kangxi: "Your Majesty, please."
Bright red dipping sauce.
If it weren't for the Empress's delight when she mentioned the red oil buns, Emperor Kangxi would never have chosen to try them.
He picked up the dipping saucer, picked up a slice of meat, and put it in his mouth.
The sour soup and spiciness were so harmonious, the two flavors blended together without any resistance. Kangxi's appetite was whetted, but he didn't forget Wan Anran, who had only eaten half of his meal: "Sit down and eat with us."
This is exactly what Wan Anran was waiting for.
Without the slightest hesitation, she answered, picked up her chopsticks, and began to cook the meat slices in the broth. Compared to Kangxi's leisurely movements, Wan Anran's movements were much faster. For example, she liked to cook three slices of meat at a time, dip them thoroughly in the sauce, and stuff them into her mouth, finding it incredibly satisfying.
This operation also had its side effects.
Because each dish of vegetables and meat has a fixed quantity, Wan Anran's operation made the vegetables and meat on the table disappear quickly at a visible speed.
Kangxi: ...
Other concubines would take a bite and then look at their own food, each one nibbling like a chick sucking rice. This was the first time he had ever seen a concubine who not only didn't serve him his meal but instead snatched food from him.
Emperor Kangxi stopped Liang Jiugong from jumping up and down.
"You think a mere Wan Changzai can outrun me?" He raised an eyebrow, and his subordinates' movements suddenly quickened.
Liang Jiugong: …………
Watching the Emperor and Consort Wan eat silently, Liang Jiugong vaguely seemed to see roaring dragons and tigers appearing behind them.
This is hardly a meal.
This is clearly a battle between a dragon and a tiger!
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